The capacity-enhancing development of the Szoboszlói Road- Erzsébet Street- Külsővásártér junction starts

As part of the investment of the Ministry of Construction and Transport (in Hungarian abbreviated as ÉKM), the 18-month capacity-increasing development of the Szoboszlói Road – Erzsébet Street – Külsővásártér traffic junction in Debrecen will begin on the 23rd of March, 2025, with the installation of temporary traffic engineering equipment.

The details of the investment were announced by Deputy State Secretary responsible for road and railway construction József Pántya, Members of Parliament László Pósán and László Tasó, and Mayor László Papp.

Deputy State Secretary responsible for road and railway construction, József Pántya announced at the beginning of the press conference that in addition to the capacity-increasing development of the Szoboszlói Road-Erzsébet Street-Külsővásártér transport junction, the reconstruction of the Balmazújvárosi Road – Füredi Road – Csigekert Street – Szabó Lőrinc Street junction, the implementation of a new phase of the connection of Main Road 354 and Main Road 33, and the complex development of the Hétvezér-Budai Nagy Antal Street junction would begin in the coming weeks. “The total value of the four investments is almost HUF 14 billion, which will be implemented purely from domestic sources. Overall, it can be said that these developments are not just simple road renovations but complex solutions for the transport of the city of Debrecen. The implemented developments will make the city’s transport safer, faster, and more comfortable,” the Deputy State Secretary underlined.

Member of Parliament László Tasó emphasised, “Many people have worked very hard in recent decades to strengthen Debrecen and to take the path that Debrecen deserves and is destined to take. Starting in 2015, a transport development programme of enormous importance was launched in Hungary. Hajdú-Bihar County was also a beneficiary of this, including Debrecen. Debrecen has a lot of tasks to solve, and the peak, when its transport systems need to function, will occur in about 3-4 years, around 2030, when everything will be fulfilled, and the workforce that will arrive every day will approach 80-90 thousand people. I trust that the government will always support Debrecen’s ideas because this will also make life better for the agglomeration settlements.”

“The name Külsővásártér is not accidental, as it is a location, a junction where many people met, goods changed hands,” László Pósán revived the past. The member of parliament also mentioned that this road section has been carrying a lot of traffic for a long time, adding, “If this junction is built, then in the future, the car traffic could be even greater because if the city develops, the accompanying traffic will also increase.”

Mayor László Papp recalled that when the city budget was adopted, it was made clear that 2025 would be the year of significant transport developments. The city leader pointed out that the Szoboszlói Road junction is one of the busiest junctions in Debrecen, where 35 thousand vehicles pass daily, and it is used to a significant extent not only by the people of Debrecen but also by those arriving in the city. He added that thanks to the intervention, a much safer, more comfortable, more accessible, and easier-to-use junction will be created, with a 20-25 percent greater capacity.

“We are working and planning developments that will determine our future so that we can make life in the city better, more comfortable, and safer,” the Mayor emphasised, who asked for patience from transport participants and residents of the area for the next 18 months.

Details of the investment:

• The current bus lay-by will be removed within the approximately 150 m section of Külsővásártér from Miklós Street to Arany János Street.

• An independent bus lane will be created in place of the bus lay-by, facilitating smoother bus traffic to the bus station.

• The new bus lay-by will be developed outside this lane to accommodate several buses at the same time, if necessary.

• The pedestrian crossing at the end of Arany János Street on Külsővásártér, which significantly disrupts bus traffic, will be relocated to the side of the train station.

• A curve will also be corrected within the train station to facilitate easier turns.

• To change the traffic order, the section between Arany János Street, Külsővásártér, and the connecting service road will be made one-way.

• The traffic order of the connecting section of Postakert Street will also be changed, as the previously two-way traffic will be reduced to one-way, the direction of which will be from Külsővásártér towards Zelemér Street.

• A bicycle access will be built from Postakert Street towards Külsővásártér.

• Another section of Külsővásártér, also nearly 150 m long, will be affected by the construction of a separate bus lane from Arany János Street towards Széchenyi Street with the expansion towards the railway station.

• The central island separating the lanes on the western side of Külsővásártér will be dismantled.

• The curve of the right-turning lane on Miklós Street will be more significant.

• The capacity of the right-turning exit from Külsővásártér onto Szoboszlói Street will be increased by expanding a classification lane and the curve leading to it, thus reducing congestion during peak periods.

• The section of Szoboszlói Road leading into the city before the junction, from Keleti sor Street to the intersection, will be expanded with a new straight lane, an independent right lane from the apartment building entrance, and a new bus lay-by. Due to the new lane, the affected road junctions and entrances will be rebuilt and given new curves.

• Public lighting poles and utilities will also need to be relocated during the development. According to the planned geometry, a storm drain will be built between Szoboszlói Road—Erzsébet Street—Keleti sor, electricity and water pipes will be replaced, and gas pipeline protection will be installed.

In the first phase of the traffic restrictions, road users can expect the following changes:

• From the 23rd of March, the outer lane of Szoboszlói Road heading towards the city will be closed, and the section between Keleti sor and Erzsébet Street will be narrowed to 2×1 lanes.

• The section of Erzsébet Street leading to the bus station will be narrowed to two lanes in front of Miklós Street.

• Due to the closure of the outer lanes, it will be possible to continue straight towards Széchenyi Street on one lane each and turn left towards Hajdúszoboszló.

• Those arriving from Miklós Street should also expect lane closures, one lane will be allowed to pass through the intersection towards Szoboszlói Street and it will not be possible to turn right towards Széchenyi Street.

• In the case of Külsővásártér, travel will be limited to the two outer lanes between Miklós and Arany János Streets, and the first 60 m section of Postakert Street will be closed.

• Buses heading towards the city centre will not stop at the Szoboszlói Street Primary School stop; passengers can use the Erzsébet Street and Külsővásártér stops instead.

Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu